The best electric estate cars to buy in 2024 (and beyond)
James Batchelor
16 Jul 2024
The estate has become a little unfashionable in recent years due to the irresistible rise of SUVs and crossovers, but the days of the good old family load-lugger are on their way back – and there are finally some great electric estate cars coming onto the market, too, from the posh to the humble and affordable. The electric estate market is only going to grow over the next few years, too, so do read on to find out which are the best electric estates that you can buy now, and which are worth waiting for.
Let's start off with an electric estate car that you won't be able to buy for some time – but it'll be big news once it arrives.
In April 2023 Skoda shocked quite a few people by dropping details of not one or two forthcoming electric cars, but six. One of those will be what's imaginatively called (for the time being at least) the "Estate". It's due in 2026 and will be around 4.7 metres long, roughly around the same size as the current Octavia and a little smaller than the MG5.
No battery or range figures have been revealed, but we would imagine it'll recycle the parts used in the Skoda Enyaq, so a 350-mile range. And judging by the current Octavia and Superb estates, it'll be very roomy inside and packed with lots of clever, practical touches.
While Skoda has to wait to get its electric estate car, parent firm Volkswagen has launched one, far sooner. Now, in fact!
The ID.7 has already been around for a short while as a sleek, executive hatchback/saloon, but it's the estate ID.7 Tourer that we're more excited about. Powering the VW load-lugger will be 77kWh and 82kWh battery packs which, together with the impressive aerodynamics, will bring WLTP range up to 424 miles. Rear-wheel drive models will be launched first and a powerful GTX range-topper will arrive soon after. We love the cushy, refined nature of the ID.7, and adding the huge, 545-litre boot space of the estate version can only be a good thing.
BMW launched the i5 – or "electric 5 Series" as it unofficially goes by – in 2023, and the estate BMW i5 Touring finally arrived this summer; BMW has been selling the 5 Series for 50 years now and has clocked up over 10 million sales in that time, so the car going electric in the form of the i5 is rather a big deal.
The 5 Series Touring has always been loved by the middle classes and the i5 Touring will likely continue that trend. WLTP range is up to 342 miles for rear-wheel drive the eDrive40 that we favour, or there's the rabidly fast M60 if you want all-wheel drive and frankly ludicrous performance. You get 570-litres of boot space in the Touring, so you can chuck the dogs in the back with no problem. And when you've got the car to yourself, you can enjoy the sublime ride- and handling. It's not cheap, the i5 Touring, but it is absolutely brilliant.
5. Audi A6 Avant e-tron
Expected: Late 2024 Range: 420 miles
The BMW i5 Touring's chief competition will be in the shape of this – Audi's A6 Avant e-tron. Just as the i5 is an electric 5 Series, the e-tron is an electric version of the Audi A6, and the Avant version will be the German brand's first ever electric estate car. The A6 will debut Audi's new cleaner, more subtle design for future electric cars - and you'll get a good idea of what that might look like in the new Audi Q6 E-tron. Far more importantly, the new PPE platform (not face masks) can accommodate a circa-100kWh battery, which should give a range of well over 400 miles and a maximum charging rate of 270kW. With credentials like that, the A6 could in theory add 186 miles of range in just 10 minutes.
The A6 Avant will have one of the fastest charging rates around
The Vauxhall Astra Electric Sports Tourer is a handsome, square-jawed thing, and with boot space at 516 litres with the seats up (and 1,553 with them folded) it's also very practical for a mid-sized family car. Vauxhall is very proud of the fact that’s identical to the Plug-in Hybrid version of the same car. Unsurprisingly, the Sports Tourer uses the same powertrain as the Astra Electric hatchback, so there's Stellantis's (Vauxhall's parent company) latest 51kWh battery and 154bhp electric motor combo. It manages 256 miles of WLTP range from a charge, but it's not cheap - on list price, at least. It starts at £39,995, which is punchy given that it puts the Astra well into Tesla Model 3 territory. Mind you, Vauxhall is offering some really competitive lease and finance deals, so don't discount it based on list price, as monthly costs may well be much lower than you expect.
Appearing at pretty much the same time as the Vauxhall Astra, the Peugeot E-308 SW. Why the near identical launch times? Well, they’re essentially the same car. Sure, the Peugeot has arguably a more stylish design (although there’s not much in it) and the interior feels just a little better finished than the British-badged barge, but underneath it’s exactly the same – so, a 51kWh battery and 154bhp electric motor, giving a range of up to 254 miles.
We've actually spent time living with the E-308 SW, and it's been a real delight - especially the 608-litre boot. Sure, maybe we wish it were a touch faster, and not everyone will love the driving position, but this is a looker - and it's practical yet compact. Nice.
Right, an EV load-lugger you can go and buy today – hurrah! The Sport Turismo is not a traditional, boxy estate car, but it does offer more space than the regular Porsche Taycan four-door saloon, both for rear seat passengers and in the boot. It's also been heavily updated for 2024, so you now get a much better range of up to 404 miles. You can still choose from a selection of different models, but we'd stick with the standard Sport Turismo as the 4.8 second 0-62mph time is more than fast enough. Save your money for pricey options like the bespoke paint, fancy alloy wheels and plenty of other upgrades besides. The Sport Turismo only comes with four seats, although for £371 you can go for the 4+1 seat pack. As the name suggests, it doesn't add another seat in between the two rear chairs – it’s more like a perch for a fifth person on short journeys. The 446-litre boot is around 100 litres more than the regular Taycan, and when you fold down the seats there's 1,296 litres of space.
For a more rugged look, there's also the Cross Turismo that sits higher off the ground and has rugged plastic panels to protect the car if you dare venture off-road.
The first, proper electric estate car to go on sale in Britain was the MG5 in 2020, and plenty of other carmakers are playing catch-up. It's a good'un, too! Great value, decent range, comfy and spacious. Now, the MG5 has also had a facelift for 2024, so that it gets a much better infotainment system and a sleeker look. Otherwise, it's still got the same 61.1kWh battery pack, 154bhp electric motor and 249-mile range. Being a facelift, the interior dimensions remained unchanged too, so there's a useful 464 litres of space, rising to 1,367 litres with the seats folded. It gets a good amount of kit thrown in as standard, and is very reasonably priced with a seven-year warranty. There's even vehicle-to-load capability allowing owners to charge up pretty much anything with a plug. It's not the most exciting estate out there, any more, but it remains one of the most recommendable.
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